Epilepsy

Epilepsy is the widespread disease of a nervous system which is characterized by periodic attacks which lead to disturbance of motive, vegetative and cogitative functions. This disease is connected with excessive activity of neurons therefore there are neural categories which extend on all neurons of a brain and lead to emergence of an epileptic seizure. Prevalence of this disease makes 0,3-1% among adult population, and most often epilepsy begins up to 20 years. At epilepsy attacks are unexpected, they are provoked by nothing, attacks repeat through uneven periods, from several days to several months. There is a popular belief that epilepsy is incurable, however use of modern anticonvulsant drugs allows to save 65% of patients from attacks, and at 20% - it is essential to reduce their quantity.

Epilepsy reasons

The reasons of epilepsy are various for different age. At children of younger age the hypoxia - air hunger is the main reason for epilepsy during pregnancy, and also various pre-natal infections (herpes, a rubella) or inborn defects of a brain. There is also genetic predisposition to epilepsy. If one of parents is sick with epilepsy, the risk of the birth of the sick child makes about 8%. Epilepsy is divided on primary (idiopathic), with the unspecified reasons, and secondary (symptomatic), caused by various diseases of a brain.

Epilepsy symptoms

The main symptom of epilepsy are periodic attacks. Attacks of epilepsy happen focal and generalizirovanny.

At focal (partial) attacks of epilepsy spasms or numbness in certain parts of a body are observed. Such epileptic attacks are shown by short visual, flavoring or auditory hallucinations, impossibility to concentrate, attacks of unmotivated fear. During these attacks lasting no more than 30 seconds, consciousness can remain. After an attack, the patient continues to perform the interrupted operations.

Generalizirovanny attacks of epilepsy happen convulsive and convulsiveless (absana). Generalizirovanny convulsive attacks - the most frightening attacks. Several hours prior to an attack patients test peculiar harbingers - aggression, uneasiness, perspiration. Before an attack of epilepsy of the patient feels unreality of the events then faints and begins to fight in spasms. Such attacks of epilepsy lasting usually from 2 to 5 minutes begin with a sharp muscle tension, the patient can bite tongue and cheeks. Cyanosis of skin, an immovability of pupils is shown, from a mouth there can be a foam, there are rhythmical twitchings of muscles of extremities. The urine incontience can be also observed. After an attack of the patient usually remembers nothing, complains of a headache and quickly fills up.

Absana - convulsiveless generalizirovanny attacks of epilepsy are shown only in the childhood and early youth during which the child fades, consciousness for several seconds is switched off, and looks in one point. During such attack which usually lasts from 5 to 20 seconds at the child eyelids can also shiver and it is easy to be thrown back the head. Owing to short duration of such attacks, they often pass unnoticed.

Epilepsy attacks also happen myoclonic when at the child involuntary reductions of parts of a body, for example hands or the head are observed at consciousness preservation. Most often such attacks are observed after awakening. Atonic attacks of epilepsy are characterized by sharp loss of a muscle tone owing to what the person falls. Epilepsy at children is shown in the form of infantile spasms when the child begins to bend some parts of a body and all trunk many times in day. Children with such attacks usually lag behind in intellectual development.

Also perhaps and a condition of the epileptic status at which attacks continuously follow one by one, without arrival to consciousness.

Permanent changes of mentality, slowness of mental processes at the patient also belong to symptoms of epilepsy. Disturbances can be shown in block, psychopatholike behavior, and also manifestation of a sadism, aggression and cruelty. At patients forms, so-called, "epileptic character", is narrowed a focus of interest, all attention concentrates on own health and petty interests, the cool attitude towards people around in combination with obsequiousness or fault-finding. Such people, most often, are vindictive and pedantic. At long disease epileptic weak-mindedness can develop.

Diagnosis of epilepsy

Diagnosis of a disease begins with careful poll of the patient and members of his family. Vrach-epileptolog asks the patient to describe the feelings to, in time and after attacks that allows to define type of epileptic attacks. It becomes clear also whether there are in a family cases of epilepsy. Each attack demands careful studying and clinical trial. The doctor appoints carrying out the magnetic and resonant tomography (MRT) for an exception of other diseases of a nervous system, an electroencephalography (EEG) for registration of indicators of electric activity of a brain, a research of an eyeground and a X-ray analysis of a skull.

Treatment of epilepsy

Treatment of epilepsy needs to be begun as soon as possible, and it has to be complex, long and continuous. Medicines are chosen according to epilepsy type. Treatment consists of individual selection of anticonvulsant medicines and their dosages. At a generalizirovanny convulsive attack, such drugs as phenobarbital, benzonal, Chloraconum, dipheninum are appointed. For treatment of absan clonazepam, by sodium Valproatum, an Ethosuximidum is used. Small attacks stop Suxilepum, Trimethinum. It is necessary to watch a condition of the patient, to regularly carry out blood tests and urine. The termination of drug treatment is possible only when during, at least 2 years, attacks of epilepsy are not observed, at the same time the dosage of drugs is reduced gradually. Also, important criterion of the termination of reception of medicines, normalization of EEG is.

At treatment of epilepsy at children it is not necessary to change a way of life of the child strongly. If attacks are not too frequent, they can continue to attend school, however it is better to refuse sports sections. The adult sick with epilepsy, it is necessary to organize correctly picked up work.

Drug treatment is combined with a diet, definition of an operating mode and rest. The diet with limited amount of coffee, hot spices, alcohol, salty and hot dishes is recommended to patients with epilepsy.

Prevention of epilepsy

Measures for the prevention of the reasons causing epilepsy belong to measures of prevention of epilepsy namely: traumatic damages, infectious diseases of a brain, patrimonial traumatism.